Fill out the form to reach us or book an introductory call today.
For inquires about the operation of one of our communities, please fill out a contact form on our property management’s website, First Choice Management Group.
Website by Blackhawk
Analyst
Associate – Asset Management
Madhav Budhiraja is an Asset Management Associate of Juniper Investment Group, Ltd. At Juniper, Mr. Budhiraja is responsible for providing portfolio management supervision.
Prior to joining Juniper, Mr. Budhiraja was an investment banking analyst at Chiron Financial, LLC where he was responsible for supporting execution of financing, sale, and financial advisory projects.
Mr. Budhiraja earned a BA in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin.
Vice President
Molly Bryant is a Vice President of Juniper Investment Group, Ltd. Molly held an internship with Juniper in 2016 and joined the firm full-time as an Associate in 2022. She supports multiple core business functions including development, investor relations, and transaction execution.
Prior to joining Juniper, Molly led the transaction and marketing efforts for Fritsche Anderson Realty Partners.
A native Houstonian, Molly graduated from Episcopal High School in 2014. She earned a BSBA in Finance and Real Estate from the University of South Carolina.
Vice President – Capital Markets
Sameer Panjwani is the Vice President of Capital Markets for Juniper Investment Group, Ltd. and joined the company in 2023.
Previously, Mr. Panjwani was a Director in the Equity Research Department at Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. (TPH), an energy-focused investment bank based in Houston and subsidiary of Perella Weinberg Partners. While with TPH, Mr. Panjwani served as a senior member of the Exploration & Production team with primary coverage responsibility of gas-weighted and Permian-focused producers.
Prior to TPH, Mr. Panjwani was an Associate in the Equity Research Division of Raymond James, and an Analyst in the Audit Division of Ernst & Young.
Mr. Panjwani earned a BA in Accounting and Master’s in Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin.
Vice President – Asset Management
Lisa Towne is the Vice President of Asset Management for Juniper Investment Group, Ltd. Ms. Towne’s responsibilities include supervising a portion of the Juniper portfolio.
Ms. Towne started her career as a leasing agent at Summit Oaks Apartments in 1985, before becoming a site manager for First Choice in 1994 and a Regional Supervisor in 1997.
Transactions Director
Sharon Lawrence is the Transactions Director for Juniper Investment Group, Ltd. She joined the company in 2015. Her responsibilities include coordinating each stage of real estate transactions from contract to closing.
Before joining Juniper, Ms. Lawrence worked for an industrial real estate company and was the Director of Lease Administration for a firm that owned 42 million square feet of industrial warehouse space in the United States and Mexico.
Ms. Lawrence earned her paralegal degree from the Texas Tech University School of Law.
Vice President – Acquisitions
Griffin Marcyes is the Vice President of Acquisitions for Juniper Investment Group, Ltd. Mr. Marcyes joined the company in 2015 as an analyst, where he performed duties relating to acquisitions, asset management, and investor relations. In 2018, Mr. Marcyes was tasked with leading acquisitions efforts in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Austin and started leading all acquisitions efforts in 2022.
Mr. Marcyes earned a BA in Government from the University of Texas at Austin.
Chief Operating Officer
Zoe Rogers serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Juniper Investment Group, Ltd., where she brings a depth of experience across acquisitions, asset management, and investor relations. Zoe first joined Juniper as an intern in 2012, returning full-time in 2013 as an analyst. Over her tenure, she advanced through key roles, including portfolio asset manager and leader of the Investor Relations team. As COO, Zoe guides the company’s operations and spearheads strategic initiatives across corporate, investor relations, and property management technology.
Ms. Rogers holds a BA in Economics from Rice University, where she was a four-year letter winner on the basketball team.
Senior Vice President – Development
Seth Borland is a Senior Vice President of Juniper Investment Group, Ltd. Mr. Borland joined Juniper in 2016 as the Vice President of Acquisitions, where he was responsible for sourcing and underwriting new acquisition opportunities. During this time, Mr. Borland also managed the capital raises for debt and equity on all projects. Beginning in 2019, and transitioning to a full-time role in 2022, Mr. Borland became responsible for growing Juniper’s development efforts, with include Co-GP structures, new ground-up, and accretive additions to existing assets.
Before joining Juniper, Mr. Borland was an associate with the Morgan Group, a Houston-based developer of luxury apartments nationwide, where he led their efforts in Central Texas. Prior to Morgan, Seth practiced architecture in Austin, Chicago and Houston.
Mr. Borland earned a BA from Williams College, where he was captain and an All-American on the swimming team, a Masters of Architecture from the University of Texas at Austin, and an MBA from Rice University’s Jones School of Business.
Chief Investment Officer
Jeffrey Bishop is the Chief Investment Officer for Juniper Investment Group, Ltd., having joined the company in 2005. His responsibilities include supervising new and existing investment initiatives along with overseeing the asset management team. Mr. Bishop brings to Juniper over 30 years of multi‐family experience.
Prior to joining Juniper, Mr. Bishop worked for Crest Asset Management, TVO North America, and Trivest McNeil Real Estate. Over that time, he has amassed portfolio and asset management responsibility for over 65,000 units throughout the United States, and was involved in $500 million in apartment acquisitions, over $300 million in property dispositions, and the underwriting and placement of over $750 million in multi-family debt.
Mr. Bishop earned a BBA from Baylor University.
President – First Choice Management Group
Bill Choice is the President of First Choice Management Group. He is located at our Houston office, where he supervises all management company operations. Mr. Choice is involved in all aspects of property management, from due diligence and property takeover to renovations and dispositions.
Mr. Choice began his career with Arthur Young’s consulting practice in 1985, where he specialized in building computer systems for the oil and gas industry.
For the next decade, he worked in systems consulting for Arthur Young, Ernst & Young, and BSG Consulting, managing multimillion dollar projects for clients including Exxon, Enron, Texaco, and Gas Company of New Mexico. Mr. Choice led multiple consulting projects concurrently while developing new business and mentoring new employees. His experience working in many client environments helped him transition from systems consulting to property management.
Mr. Choice joined First Choice in January of 1996 and participated in all aspects of operations – from accounting and payroll, to property management and construction – prior to his assignment as a Regional Manager. Mr. Choice served as a Senior Regional Manager and Vice President of Operations until his promotion to President in 2011. He holds a Certified Property Manager® (CPM®) designation and a Texas real estate sales license.
CEO
Jay Rippeto is the CEO of Juniper Investment Group, Ltd. and of First Choice Management Group. Mr. Rippeto formed Juniper in April 2000.
Previously, Mr. Rippeto was a Vice President in the real estate asset management and underwriting group for Fortress Investment Group, a New York-based real estate investment firm. Fortress was formed by the former principals of the Global Principal Finance Group of Union Bank of Switzerland (“UBS”). Mr. Rippeto joined UBS in 1997 and then Fortress in 1998. While with UBS and Fortress, Mr. Rippeto managed commercial assets ranging from direct property investments to performing and distressed mortgages, real estate owned through foreclosure, and commercial mortgage‐backed securities.
Prior to joining UBS and subsequently Fortress, Mr. Rippeto was a Vice President at Cheslock, Bakker & Associates, a Stamford, Connecticut, based real estate merchant bank specializing in both commercial mortgage‐backed securities and direct equity investments. Mr. Rippeto has also worked for the Chase Manhattan Bank as an Associate in their Commercial Real Estate Department, specializing in distressed loan workouts, and for JMB Properties Company in its office building property management division.
Mr. Rippeto earned a BA from Vanderbilt University, graduating cum laude, and an MBA from Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management.
